Chapter 7

Three weeks later, Serana was currently heading towards the palace again. Jellal had sent her a message a few days ago asking her to accompany him for tea in the library again, but she had been on a mission and had just arrived late last night. Although she wasn't sure if today was okay, she figured that even if he wasn't available, she would at least be able to take a nice walk and possibly stop off at a cafe for a coffee and something to eat.

Upon arrival at the palace, she spoke to the guard and presented the letter, and they said that the King had been called away and wouldn't return until tomorrow. She thanked them and bowed, then headed back the way she came. Indeed he was a busy man, and it might be better to make sure he was free before she dropped in next time. He had mentioned on the note to just come by when she could, and he would at least be able to sit with her while they ate something, even if he had to leave quickly afterwards.

Just as she had in mind, she asked for a seat for one at a cafe nearby the guild hall and ordered coffee. They also had a selection of fresh sandwiches, and she ordered one. The book she was currently reading was in her bag, so she enjoyed the afternoon breeze, the warm coffee and the story on the pages. Cana strolled by and joined her briefly but was on her way to a mission, got a drink, and went on her way.

If Jellal was called away, he would surely be tired tomorrow, so she might wait another day before seeing him. She wanted to tell him about her mission, which was simple, but she was pleased it was one she did on her own. It had taken a while to develop her confidence enough to feel like she could go on her own. Lucy, Juvia and even Natsu had gone on missions with her to help her while she was still getting used to her new profession.

After her meal, she paid and headed back to the guild hall just as the sun began to set. She hadn't intended on staying at the cafe for so long, but she got too interested in her book and overlooked the time. Gray and Juvia were seated at a table just inside the guild, Wendy, Warren, and Nab were at another table, and Elfman was sitting by himself. Usually, he and Mira stuck together, but she was at the bar organising food and drinks for the rest of the guild members. Figuring that he might like some company, she sat with him.

"Hi, Serana," Elfman said as he turned in his seat to face her. "How was your day?"

"Good, thank you. I was sitting at a cafe and didn't realise how late it was until they started to close. What about you?" She responded with a laugh at her story.

"Quiet. Just been reading a new book." He lifted it up to show her the cover, but she didn't recognise it.

"I've heard of the author but not the series. Is it good?" She eyed the book cover.

"I've just started it, but I'm undecided about the main character. Not sure if he's going to be a good guy or a bad guy. It's good so far, though."

Elfman continued relaying a few more details about the book without giving anything away in case Serana wanted to read it herself. He was always someone she could talk to about books and literature in general, and he had taken up some of her recommendations and vice versa. Serana was only somewhat aware of what had happened to Lisanna and just hoped that having someone new to talk to about a shared interest would give some comfort.

Mira called him for a hand, which ended their conversation, and they said their goodbyes. Serana got up and headed towards the dorms, grabbed some clean pyjamas to wear to bed, and then went to the baths. Jellal had been working hard to fix problems that the Royal City had been having with the water supply and plumbing issues, but it must have been mostly fixed while she was away. The hot water stayed steady and only spattered a few times while she was washing. It began to spatter a bit more, but since she was mostly done, she didn't worry and turned the water off and hopped out to dry off. She made a mental note to wash her hair tomorrow if she could or to just wash it in the basin if that was easier. She'd heard Juvia mention to Gray that she had to do that yesterday, so she wouldn't be the only one.

It was her turn to do laundry, so she collected up all the towels in the shared girls' bathroom and took them to the machine out the very back of the hall in a small dinky room. It had just enough space to fit the washing machine and a dryer, and there was a line that folded out from the wall for drying things naturally. Since the room was usually warmed by the afternoon sun, it was the best time to wash since it tended to hold the heat well, and most stuff dried overnight. The machine would be finished in just over an hour, so she would read her book for a while and then come back to hang everything out.

She headed to the girls' room, where Lucy was dozing softly, so she kept the noise down as she put on some moisturiser, trying to take care of her skin. Checking on her wound, which mainly had healed now, she carefully put some ointment on it that Mira had given her to help it heal. After completing her nightly routine, she only had about 20-30 minutes to wait for the washing machine to complete its work, and she tidied up her trunk a little and organised some of the clothes stored in her bedside table. While she worked, she kept quiet to avoid disturbing Lucy, but she woke up anyway.

They chatted softly before Lucy headed out to get something to eat. She brought back a drink for herself and one for Serana, who thanked her and began enjoying it as they sat on their beds and talked. Lucy asked her about her mission, and she happily relayed the details. Lucy had a job she was leaving for tomorrow, and they discussed that before Serana remembered about the laundry. She apologised to Lucy for interrupting their conversation and zipped out the back to finish what she'd started. Lucy was still in the same spot when Serana returned and thanked her for remembering to hang it out since they were always a forgetful bunch with irregular schedules and often neglected the housework and things. The bar and entry hall were always tidy, thanks to Mira, and the girls were reasonably neat, but the boys' dorm and bathroom were messy. Every three months, they all did a big cleanup and threw out things, but they hadn't done that since moving to the Royal City, so they were overdue. Lucy talked with her and said they planned to do it next week since mostly everyone would be home. When they finished their drinks, Lucy returned to the bar for dinner, and Serana joined her to get something small. She had a small bowl of hearty soup before returning to the dorm room to read for a bit before she got some rest.

She laid down on her bed, reading until she was too tired to keep her eyes open and, put her bookmark in, then placed her closed book on her bedside table.

As she closed her eyes and readied herself for sleep, she had a passing thought about Jellal and hoped he was okay…

Several hours away, in the royal procession, was a carriage with Jellal seated inside. He was tired, and since it was dark outside, he couldn't stop himself from dozing lightly, only being jolted awake by the occasional bump from the carriage's wheels. Coco was seated across from him, and she wasn't too far off falling asleep. The poor girl had worked so hard in the past few weeks, and he wanted her to slow down. If he could, he would give her the next few days off, but that depended on his ability to convince her to rest. Coco began to snore softly, and he smiled at him before closing his eyes again.

It was dark outside and had been for several hours. Jellal had finished his work in the town, a few hours' travels from the Royal City. He had been called to assist in deciding what to do with a severely damaged historical site that was already due for a restoration project for that he had received a proposal. Unfortunately, the storm had caused further damage, and now that project had to be done immediately, but he had wanted to see it for himself. History was such an important thing to be preserved, and he had wanted to get a good look to see what needed to be done so he could organise the right people for the job. He would do this first thing tomorrow morning, but he hadn't intended on staying so late in the town, but he'd been intrigued by the site and how incredible it was, despite the damage.

He was excited to see what it would look like at the end of the restoration efforts, but it would take some time. As he dozed lightly, he wondered if Serana had been to the palace since he hadn't seen her in a few days. She was most likely away on a job, but hopefully, he would be able to see her soon. After her last visit, he realised how much better he felt after talking about his time in Earthland, even without revealing anything too personal. It had been fun to relay some of the incredible things he had seen and experienced while there, and having an enraptured audience who encouraged him in just the way, made it even better.

The feeling of weight off his shoulders afterwards had surprised him, and he was looking forward to seeing her again. At the thought of seeing her when he returned, his heart began to beat faster, and his eyes snapped open. He was half-asleep and had to focus on remembering where he was for a moment, but seeing a sleepy Coco across from him made him feel okay. Her nose twitched a few times, and he relaxed with a soft smile.

Since they would be back soon, he could get a few hours of sleep before he got down to business with the restoration. After that was set in motion, he would see if Serana was available and spend some time with her in the palace library…